Correction 11/13/24: A quote regarding repayment of funds was misattributed to a Councilmember, and has been subsequently removed. Z107.7 regrets the error.
Last night’s Twentynine Palms City Council meeting lasted three hours and it began with several presentations. Members of Reach out Yucca Valley presented results from a recent Town Hall in Twentynine Palms that identified community needs, such as transportation resources, affordable housing, job opportunities, affordable childcare, and accessible healthcare. Future projects include plans for a Naloxone vending machine (a drug that rapidly reverses an opioid overdose), bus passes, an Incentive Store, and budget expansion for their Youth Leadership Academy.
Event Organizer Terence Latimer presented on the success of “Dine in 29” and Restaurant Week. The food festival kicked off on September 22 and Latimer reported that an estimated 1200 attendees (a mix of locals, families, and tourists) enjoyed the offerings of over 20 food vendors. He stated that four vendors sold out and collectively, they made $25K. Latimer is considering a similar event for next May.
Suzy Dick previewed the upcoming Creche Festival which celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ, specifically the manger scene. Last year’s event featured 120 unique nativities in addition to various musical performances. The free event will be held on Saturday, December 7, from 10:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Yucca Valley.
There was a filing of the city’s annual Comprehensive Financial Report (fiscal year ending June 2024) with help from CPA Brianna Schultz from accounting firm, Rogers, Anderson, Malody & Scott, LLP (RAMS) who attended remotely. This was followed by City Manager Stone James providing a single audit report on federal awards for the same fiscal year. When a city (or entity) receives $750K or more in federal funding, clear compliance must be demonstrated. Last year, the city received $2.1M in such funding that stretched across different projects – roads, covid (little less than $800K), Community Development Block Grants and so on. RAMS conducted the audit and there were “no findings” which is equal to getting an A+ in school, James stated.
Representing the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department, Lieutenant Al Huff presented advantages of the Flock Camera System. “Law enforcement has less manpower, so technology has to step in,” said Huff. At key intersections, Flock cameras take still images of rear license plates. The images are kept for one year and cross-referenced with other agencies to check for any crime leads. Huff made it clear that drivers are not photographed, and the set-up has no bearing on speeding or other traffic violations. Huff offered several success stories, including a swift recovery of an abducted child, apprehension of murder suspects, and the arrest of the arsonist behind the still-burning Line Fire. Both the council and attending residents expressed desire for the system to be installed immediately. (Flock Camera System costs range $2500 – $3300 and would be covered by state funds, not the city.) Huff stated that nine intersections in the city have already been identified for implementation. Council approval for the Flock installation will be included in the Consent Calendar for the December 10 meeting agenda.
At the request of Councilmember Octavious Scott and two residents via email, item #12 was pulled from the Consent Calendar for discussion. James explained that a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) is required for a grant from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The grant application maintains that the city must have a partner organization that will serve as a bridge between the city and the citizens who will benefit. The city chose the Community Leaning Equipping Project (CLEP), also known as “the Hope Center” which is a non-profit branch of the Sanctuary Church. It is unknown what concerns were expressed in the emails as they were not read aloud, but the MOU was unanimously approved by council.
There was a public hearing on the abatement costs of an abandoned lot that had become an illegal dumping ground. Located on the far east end of town, the lot was declared a Public Nuisance by the Planning Commission. At a cost of nearly $18K, the city hauled away over 20 tons of trash, debris, and an abandoned motorhome. The property owner, Ronald Russell, is deceased, so a successor-in-interest must be located to foot the bill. Otherwise, a lien will be put on a property within 10 days.
Lakita Johnson, president of Molding Hearts, made a proposal to council for services around housing the homeless. The organization currently houses 54 people daily and they are looking for suitable locations in Twentynine Palms to extend their short term/long term services locally. Johnson stated that the organization has government contracts and multiple streams of income, but they are asking council for $24,500 to get started in the city. Councilmember Scott asked her about reimbursement-per-placement, and she stated that Molding Heart had no delinquencies. After further discussion and a consultation with City Attorney Patrick Muñoz who was in attendance, council unanimously voted to grant Molding Hearts the requested funds. Once that was decided, much of the audience left the chambers.
City Manager James then made a pitch to hire an environmental design firm, Moore Iacofano Goltsman (MIG), to assist with the Biannual Goal Setting and Strategic Planning sessions scheduled for January 2025. Councilmember Scott was adamantly against the idea. “I don’t like it and I’ll tell you why. There’s a lot more value to doing it ourselves. I’m not comfortable paying that kind of money to a consultant who is not from our community,” said Scott. “We’ve done this before without a consultant, and we can do it again.” James asked for $36,600 in funding and it was approved 4-1, with Scott dissenting.
In honor of Councilmember Joel Klink’s last official council meeting, all members sported Hawaiian shirts. After 20 years on the council, Klink was given the gavel for his final adjournment.
“This is the last time I’ll hit this gavel and I feel very humbled for the 20 years I have been serving on this council. The citizens of Twentynine Palms have been super great. I look forward to watching the council move ahead,” said Klink. “I did, however, forget to do one thing in my comments and wish everybody a happy birthday that is celebrating in November. Nobody? The city has their 37th year of being a city, November 23, and my mother would be 94 the same day so let’s sing happy birthday, okay?”
The next meeting of the Twentynine Palms City Council will take place on Tuesday, December 10.
